EMBER'S POV

I stayed with my grandfather until he felt a bit sleepy, and was thankful when I got out of the house without having to deal with Luna Lara or her precious and beloved daughter-in-law. I honestly did not think any encounter with them would end well, to be honest.


I didn't see Paris either and decided that I was going to have to leave without saying good bye. It was for the best, I supposed, and was making my way to the gates when I saw two figures by the edge of the forest. Two men actually, and they seemed to be at odds with each other.

"to draw closer or walk away?" I questioned myself and had my questions answered when one of them grabbed the other by the collar. And it just so happened that the one doing the grabbing was none other but Paris dearest, and the man, whose collar he was grabbing onto that way, was Jean's!

You can imagine my surprise, as I raced over to where they were in hopes of tearing them apart, because why were they in such a situation in the first place,


"Paris!" I shouted, somewhat close to hysterics. "What the hell are you doing?" and that had both of them turning to me in shock and surprise, possibly because he had not expected to see me there.

To be fair, I actually had not told him I was coming.


I watched as Paris loosened his grip on Jean, and I slowly drew closer to them,

"What the hell is happening here?" I asked, looking from Jean to Paris, and then back to Jean, who looked like he was still surprised to see me,

"I didn't know you were here," he said and I raised a brow at him,

"I also didn't know you were here. So I guess that makes the both of us."

"I suppose so," he said and shoved his hand in his pockets, before looking away,

"So are you going to tell me why you are here?" I asked Jean, "And why you had your hand on his collar?" I asked, turning to Paris and he simply looked away,

"Paris here, is under the impression that we are all delusional about who Kate truly is," Jean said and looked angry with it, but I shook my head,

"I believe I asked you what you were doing here…not what you think of Paris," I said softly and he looked surprised by my reply,

"I came to fix the stables… that's why I'm here. Your turn."

He heaved out a sigh, and turned in the direction of the forest, "I needed to see for myself what you saw the night you saw Kate coming out of here. I told you I'd be here."

"you did." I said and folded my arms before turning to Paris, "but you didn't tell me you’d be attacking my friends when they came on your homestead. Is this how you treat your partners?" "I asked Paris, and he guffawed, and then narrowed his brows,

"He started it, Ember."

"by stating facts. You're blinded by your mate bond with Kate, and that won't let you see the worst in her, and that's facts."

This again, I thought, and had felt the first tug of a headache. But I didn't make any comment, because Paris had literally just defended me from both his mother and Kate. Saying anything on the matter just now didn't feel right.

"That's not what this is about. But you want to go through the forest and see for yourself? Fine! Make sure to get off my bloody property once you're done." Paris shouted and simply walked off, leaving Jean and I to ourselves.

"touchy," I said as we watched him go,

"more like blinded." Jean said and turned to the forest, "But, at least he gave us the go-ahead. Are you ready to go in?"

I hesitated, "what exactly are we looking for?"

"clues." he said and shrugged, "anything that points to the culprits… or culprits as the case may be. Anything odd. Not right."

"That's a lot of things," I said, and he shrugged,

"as long as we find what we're looking for," he said and stretched out his hand toward mine,

"Fine then." I said and sighed, "Let's get this over and done with before I get the hives. Who knows what terrible things Kate has planted in here."

And rather than share my sentiment, Jean laughed.

"So here is the abandoned cabin we've visited a couple of times. Some of the remains of the men who attacked you are buried around there." he pointed at a not-so-far-off distance and I made a face,

"That's attractive." I said and looked around the place, "Is there a possibility Kate housed her uncle and cousin here though?"

Jean looked at me as though a light bulb had just come on and I shrugged,

"That's not very impossible." he admitted, "I actually haven't thought about that."

"You've been focused on some other sides of this tale, don't worry." I said and caught a spot where some firewoods were set up, and It didn't look like it had been too long since they had been used, "and perhaps it hasn't been too long since her uncle came visiting." I said pointing to the spot, and Jean got a closer look,

"There's no way I'm supposed to believe Kate doesn't know that her uncle comes and goes as he pleases."won't be surprised if it is somewhere close by," I commented, and Jean was at my side most speedily,

"I don't think I want you inside this place anymore. It isn't safe."

"I'm here with you," I said softly and he smiled, but he still looked worried,

"Come on. We've seen enough. I'll have a word with Paris once he cools off." Jean said and took pictures of the firewood,

"making memories?" I teased, as he placed his phone back in his pocket,

"Ember, trust me when I say the last thing I want to do, is make memories of this place. But the person who did that might come back to undo it. I need evidence when I'm relaying this to Paris. There are some things too obvious for even him to ignore."

"yeah., okay."

"Come in, then, doll face." he said, putting an arm around my shoulder, "let's get you home."

Later that evening, I took a stroll around the block to clear my head from the day's events. For some reason, moments spent with Paris always left my mind feeling fuzzy, and I always seemed to need time to myself.

Today left me needing that time. So while my family members retired for the night, I grabbed a cozy coat, and walked under the moonlight, recounting how it had been nice falling asleep on that roof with Paris by my side.

It had been normal. Insanely so. But now, it only felt bittersweet. Because to remember all of that, also meant remembering that Paris had Kate. And regardless of what Paris said, and how he sometimes acted like he missed me, something always pulled them back together.

The turmoil and the rollercoaster of emotions that caused me was too much. No one had to live this way. Regardless of how deeply they were in love. I sighed and blinked back the tears that formed in my eyes.

Sometimes, the tears came. After I'd been strong for too long, they came and reminded me that I was human. Human enough to love the wrong man.

I sniffed and brushed away the tear that ran down my cheek. And I was too high in my feelings, too caught up in my emotions, to notice the footsteps coming behind me. And when alas I heard them, I was a tad too late.